


The Apartment

by Casskins



Category: The Librarians (TV 2014)
Genre: F/M
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2018-07-30
Updated: 2018-09-24
Packaged: 2019-06-18 14:13:33
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 5
Words: 13,600
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/15487626
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Casskins/pseuds/Casskins
Summary: Cassandra needs Jenkins to pretend to be her husband to get into a nice apartment, but what happens when it no longer feels like pretend? NOT a continuation of Dreams series, but an alternate version of how I imagine Casskins may have come to be, takes place after season 4, hope you enjoy :)





	1. Chapter 1

Jenkins:  
“Mr. Jenkins?” The quiet soft voice of Cassandra Cillian from across the workroom caught my attention. “Is there something I can help you with, Miss Cillian?” Taking that as her cue to come closer, she started toward my desk and began to ramble, “Well, actually, you see… I need… I was wondering if you uh… maybe would… uh, if you could—” As amusing and cute as it was when she rambled like this, I had things to get to, so I interrupted her, “Miss Cillian…” Cassandra looked down at the floor and took a deep breath. As she let the breath out, her words flew with it. “I need you to pretend to be married to me so I can get into the Emerald apartment complex uptown,” she spit out as if her tongue were on fire. Of all things, that is not what I was expecting to hear. I raised an eyebrow and took a second to process what she had just said before choosing my response very carefully. “Wouldn’t Mr. Stone or even Mr. Jones make a better candidate for this ruse, my dear?” At that, she shot her hands up into the air in frustration. “I knew you’d say that! And no! Absolutely not! I really need to make a good impression at this interview and all of these people are very fancy. I don’t think a cowboy or an Australian with an attitude will do the trick.” I don’t think a man who looks twice your age or more will do either, I thought to myself. “And the age thing won’t be an issue,” she began as if reading my mind, “because a lot of the residents are rich older men with pretty young wives. We’d fit right in!”

I was utterly dumbfounded. How could I say no when it made so much sense for me to be the one to help? “You really want this apartment, don’t you?” I asked her after a few more seconds of silence. “Oh Jenkins, you should see it, it’s beautiful! It’s closer to the Library than my apartment now and much, much nicer too. I really want to get in, but they don’t take singles. My plan is to have you go with me to the interview and just tell them you work a job that requires you to live elsewhere most of the time on business so they won’t get suspicious when they don’t see you in the building with me. We don’t even have to tell the others!” Wow, she really has thought this through. I looked up to the ceiling and thought about it for a minute or two in silence. Was there any harm in pretending for a few hours? I mean, it would be a favor to her and nothing more. I have to admit, the idea of being fake married to Cassandra sounds quite appealing. For that reason, I can’t act on this, it might get me into a situation I can’t get out of… or worse, one I don’t want to get out of. Just as I was about to say no, I looked back at her and she had her lips in a pout and was making puppy dog eyes. Any reservation I had crumbled. In an interview setting though, I guess nothing could really come up about PDA so we wouldn’t have to do any more than maybe hold hands and that’s harmless.  
“Fine,” I responded slowly and she was on me in an instant hugging me and kissing my cheek. “Oh, Jenkins! Thank you thank you thank you!! I promise, it won’t be a big deal!” I smiled in spite of myself as she exited the room excitedly. When did she gain such a hold on me? Ever since she asked me to dinner that day so long ago, I have held her at arm’s length. I told her that my age was the issue, and it is, but it doesn’t seem like an issue to her at all. I also told her about my promise to Charlene, but Charlene has been gone for some time, so does that promise still stand? I can’t deny that I’m attracted to her. I mean, who wouldn’t be? She’s brilliant, more that brilliant. She’s witty and kind and quirky, and not to mention beautiful. That long red hair, smooth ivory skin and mesmerizing blue eyes… any man would kill to have her... But who’s to even say she still wants me and this isn’t just a random favor? If I were her, I wouldn’t still want me after the way I rejected her. I sighed and decided that it ultimately didn’t matter because even if we did both want this, it would never work and only hurt the team.

*Two weeks later, the day of the interview*

“Miss Cillian, are you ready?” I called through the workroom as I entered. I was dressed in a suit of navy blue with a canary yellow bowtie and pocket square, per Cassandra’s request. She had on a canary yellow dress and navy jewelry and shoes. We looked impeccable if I do say so myself. She turned around from setting the door to face me and looked me up and down. “You look perfect! Yes, I am ready to go, just let me finish setting this really quick… got it!” she stepped away from the globe and adjusted my bow tie. She handed me a solid gold ring and I quickly slipped it on. She was wearing a huge 4-carat rock on her tiny ring finger. Ironically, when we went through the personal items of former Librarians to find the rings, the huge diamond stunner was the smallest size. “Remember the plan?” she asked with a bright smile. “Ah, yes. I am Jenkins Cillian, editor in chief of the Annexian newspaper in Boston and you are my wife whose parents live here in Portland and need taking care of. We are looking for the apartment for you to live in and me to visit in from Boston. We are very in love and making it work long distance.” She smiled as I gave the synopsis. “Perfect. Let’s do this.” I offered my arm to her and she slipped her arm into the crook of my elbow. I moved to step through the door and she stopped me. “Wait, thank you again for doing this. I know there is nothing in this for you and I really appreciate it.” There’s plenty in this for me, I get to pretend to be married to a gorgeous woman. I can’t very well say that, so I squeezed her hand and responded, “There is not nothing in this for me, I’m doing a friend a favor and her happiness is plenty reward.” I smiled at her as we stepped through the door.

Most of the interview was a breeze. We laughed at bad jokes and told our “story” for wanting the apartment and held hands pretending to be married. As the interview came to a close, one of the men on the panel said, “I can’t help but notice that you haven’t been very attached to one another. Most of our residents are very into elaborate personal displays of affection.” I felt her tense beside me on the couch as he continued, “It’s just that sometimes we get people interview who aren’t compatible with the rest of the residents. We just want to make sure you are a good fit here.” As he was speaking, I knew what had to happen. If Cassandra was going to get this place, I had to kiss her and show them how “in love” we were. I glanced at her and I saw her face drop. I could tell by the look on her face, she wasn’t going to insist that I do anything I had not signed up for. Just as she was about to fess up to our ruse, I leaned over and pressed my lips to hers, partly to help her win the apartment and partly because I had been thinking about doing it for some time now and I finally had a good excuse. It surprised her but she recovered quickly. What was meant to be a small peck turned into a passionate kiss. I slipped my hands around her waist and she brought her hands to my cheeks as if it was second nature and we had done this a thousand times. If I had known kissing her would be like this, I would have done it a long time ago. She was remarkable. Just as I was about to deepen the kiss even more she broke the kiss and looked into my eyes, forehead still resting on mine. Eyes still locked on me, she responded to the interviewers, who I had honestly forgotten were there, “Do you think we’ll be a good fit now?” My eyes never left hers as the man responded, “Welcome to the building Mr. and Mrs. Cillian.”

Cassandra:  
We made our way back to the back door in silence, mostly because I don’t think either of us knew what to say. That was some kiss. I’ve never been kissed like that before. It was respectful but passionate too. It wasn’t sloppy or boring or too short or too long. It was perfect. I kind of hated him for it. I know he didn’t read into that kiss the way I did and that he didn’t want me the way I wanted him, so now every other kiss I ever have will have to measure up to that one and it really wasn’t fair. We stopped in front of the door and I turned to him, unable to stay silent for any longer, “Should we talk about what happened back there or…” He glanced at the floor and rubbed the back of his neck as he spoke, a look of shyness on his face I had never seen before, “I- I just knew he wouldn’t give you the apartment if we didn’t… make it seem real, it was just part of the act. Right?” I felt my face fall at his answer even though I knew that was what he would say. “Uh, yeah, just p- part of the act,” I said, trying to keep my composure, “Thanks again.” I didn’t even wait for a response as I stepped through the door and went straight to the stacks to stay as far away from the workroom as possible for the rest of the day.

Jenkins:  
Part of the act? What were you thinking, Jenkins? Why didn’t you just tell her the truth? Ugh. I haven’t gotten any work done all day because I can’t quit thinking about that kiss. It was perfect. I’ve kissed many women over the years, and was resolved in thinking the act of kissing was about the same no matter who it was you kissed, but no kiss I had ever had in 1500 years compared to kissing Cassandra today and I couldn’t stop thinking about it. My hands on her waist, her hands on my cheeks, our foreheads touching as we pulled apart… but she has been avoiding me all day and I don’t know if it’s because it was just part of the act for her or if she thinks it really was just part of the act for me. I’m afraid that if I tell her how much I truly enjoyed it, she won’t feel the same. I looked up at the clock, ten after eleven. I was waiting around the workroom hoping to catch her on her way out the back door, but she was nowhere to be found. Perhaps she had already left and I missed her. I better just give it up. Looks like I’ll have to sleep on it. As I headed to my room, the thought dawned on me that I wasn’t going to get any sleep and I grabbed a few books on my way out. It was going to be a long night.

I was still awake reading at around 2:30 am when I heard a knock at my door. I got up immediately and went to answer it, assuming something was wrong. As I opened the door, Cassandra Cillian walked angrily past me and right into my room. “Miss Cillian—” “Don’t give me that Miss Cillian crap. How could you do that to me?” she practically spat at me. Now I was really confused. “What are you—” I began calmly and started to walk toward her. “That kiss! How could you kiss me like that knowing how I feel about you and how hard it was for me to get over the fact that you rejected me?! Just as things were starting to go back to normal between us, you go and kiss me like that. It’s not fair! Now every other kiss I’ll ever have will only pale in comparison to that one and it’s not fair!” she was practically screaming by the end and I was immensely grateful that the others were not in the annex at this hour to hear it. I was silent for a moment as I thought about the weight of what she had just said. 

“You’re right,” I said quietly and she stopped her fury to looked confused, “What?” “You’re right,” I repeated, “It’s not fair.” She continued to look confused as I continued, “You think I’m not attracted to you?” I moved closer to her as I spoke, words quiet but strong. “You’re brilliant and beautiful and kind, how could I possibly stand a chance? The way I see it, it’s not fair to me that I can’t control these feelings I have for you no matter how hard I try and no matter how much I know it’s wrong. You’re right, my dear: It isn’t fair at all.” By this time, I was standing right in front of her, towering over her slight frame as I spoke. “I- I don’t—” she started but nothing came out. I stepped back from her and fiddled with my robe as I spoke, suddenly shy, “Yes well…” I trailed off. She looked up at me for a moment and I thought she was going to say something, but then she just left the room and I was even more confused than before.


	2. Chapter 2

Cassandra:  
I woke up the next morning with a huge headache and a feeling in my gut that I didn’t like. As I struggled to recall the events of the precious day, it all came flooding back when I saw the new apartment key on my dresser: Jenkins. I had to go back to the annex and apologize for snapping at him last night, I had to fix it. I had actually just left him standing there in his room after he confessed that he had feelings for me too. How could I be so cruel? I hadn’t even given him a response, just fled. It was Saturday, so the others would all be out. I put my clothes on and walked to the bus station. When I arrived at the annex, I stood outside for a few minutes and thought about what I would say. The reason I had left last night was that I truly didn’t expect him having feelings for me and I didn’t know what to say. I still had feelings for him, of course, but the idea of our dynamic changing suddenly scared me and I didn’t know if we should act on them or not. Today, I’m going to pose an experiment and I’m hoping he thinks it’s a good idea, because if not, this could be an awkward situation permanently.

Jenkins:  
I sat in my lab with a freshly made cup of tea trying to concentrate on the experiment at hand, but again my mind wandered to my conversation with Cassandra last night. She just left. I mean, what does that mean? As I continued to think about it, I didn’t notice the slight knock on the door. “Jenkins?” I jumped and almost dropped a beaker as I turned to see her standing in the doorway. “Miss Cillian, what are you—” “Can we talk?” she cut me off and I nodded to her, putting down the beaker and removing my lab coat quickly to walk with her down the hallway to the kitchen. We walked in silence and I felt like I could hear the nervousness I felt. I sat at the bar across from her as she spoke. “I’m sorry I left last night,” she said in a small voice after a second or two, “I just didn’t know what to say. It was easy to deal with my unrequited feelings, but when I found out that they were no longer unrequited, well… I just wasn’t sure I wanted to mess up our friendship or jeopardize the team if something happened between us.” I knew where this was going. I looked down and began to fumble through a response, trying and failing to hide my disappointment. “Ah, I see. I understand Miss Cillian, I—” 

She cut me off, “But—” I looked up then and saw a mischievous glimmer in her eyes and she began to get up from her seat and move towards me. I sat frozen in my chair. She got even closer and just when I thought she was going to sit down beside me, she passed the seat and straddled my lap. I gulped and my breathing went shallow. “I propose an experiment,” she said, her voice low and her face very close to mine. “We try this out and see what “this” even is, but keep it a secret from the others unless we know for sure it’s a serious thing. What do you think?” It was all I could do to concentrate on what she was saying. She smelled so good, like watermelon shampoo. “I think that sounds like the most logical course of action, yes,” I ground out in the calmest voice I could muster. She smiled, “Good.” Then she leaned down and kissed me slowly, sensually, hungrily. I wrapped my arms around her waist and her hands went to work playing with my hair. We kissed like that for a few seconds and then I felt her tongue glide across my bottom lip and I opened instantly to receive it. As we deepened the kiss, I could feel a tightness in my trousers and I’m sure she could too. I reluctantly broke the kiss after a few minutes and said, “Cassandra… maybe we should take this slow…” She nodded and we both got up from the chair.

“I have an idea,” I told her. She looked at me expectantly. “Let’s go out tonight, away from the annex, we can take the door anywhere and do anything. A date. Isn’t that what people call it now? A ‘date’?” She laughed quietly as she responded, “Yes, that is what people call it now. And I think that’s a great idea. What did you have in mind?” I thought about it for a minute and it suddenly occurred to me that I didn’t really know what a modern ‘date’ was. “Can I tell you something personal?” I moved toward her and grabbed her hands. She nodded, “Anything.” “Well, if I’m honest, I haven’t been on a ‘date’ in a while, so I don’t really know what the protocol is…” She raised an eyebrow, “So? I haven’t been on one in a few months either—” I cut her off, “We don’t have the same definition of a while my dear… I haven’t been on a date in several centuries.” Her mouth dropped. “Centuries?!” I nodded. She looked dumbfounded for a few moments and then looked back up at me, “Maybe I should plan the first date then.” Relief flooded my face and I squeezed her hands, “Thank you, and I promise after that, I’ll have a better idea of what this whole ‘dating’ thing means and I can plan something for you.” She smiled brightly at me and leaned up to kiss my cheek. “I better go, I have a date to plan. I’ll meet you back here at 8 and expect a text with what to wear.”

Cassandra:  
Centuries?! I mean I know how old he is, but I just assumed he still went on dates. I mean, everybody dates occasionally, right? Well, apparently not everybody. I won’t lie though, I found it attractive that he didn’t need confirmation from the opposite sex to feel secure in himself, there’s something oddly sexy about that. Anyways, here I am at home on my laptop trying to plan the PERFECT first date in only 4 hours. How do you plan a date for a man who hasn’t been on a date in that long? It’s damn near impossible. Ugh. Just as I was about to give up and decide on something simple like a movie, I saw it and it was perfect.

Jenkins:  
I had been in my room for hours trying to pick out outfits for every possible scenario when my phone dinged. Ah, finally. I moved toward it and opened the message from Cassandra. It read- ‘Your traditional suit will be perfect’ As I looked through my options, I realized I didn’t know what she was wearing and I certainly didn’t want to clash. I typed quickly- ‘What will you be wearing?’ In an instant her response came through- ‘That’s for me to know and you to find out!’ I smiled in spite of myself, wicked woman. ‘Do I at least get to know what color suit to wear Miss Cillian?’ As soon as I sent the message, she responded- ‘Black suit, white accents. Pick you up at 8 ;)’ I stared at the last two symbols for a while until I realized that when I turned my cellular phone sideways they made a winking face. How clever. I pulled a black suit from the closet and began to dress. 

At ten till 8 I waited patiently in the workroom for Cassandra to arrive. I had a bouquet of peonies in my hand and was more nervous than I think I have ever been in my life. It had been quite a long time since I had done this and even then, I had never gone out with a colleague, much less a colleague who looks half my age or less. Suddenly I heard heeled feet tapping across the floor getting louder by the second and I thought I might pass out. When she stepped into the workroom, my fear of fainting grew exponentially. She was dressed in a strapless black dress that came to about the middle of her thigh, it hugged her waist and then cascaded out from there like it was going to be a ballgown but stopped halfway. She had on large white earrings and white strappy heels. Her long red hair was down and curled even more than usual and she had on a little more makeup than I’m used to seeing her wear, but not so much as to look scandalous. She was a vision. “You look beautiful,” was the first response that came to my mind. She looked down, blushing madly. “Thanks, you look pretty handsome yourself.” I was far from handsome, but if the gorgeous woman in front of me said the sky was green I wouldn’t argue with her. “Are those for me?” she interrupted my thought and looked to the flowers in my hands as she spoke. I nodded and held them out to her. “Oh, Jenkins, they’re beautiful! I love peonies!” I smiled, proud that I had remembered how much she loved them from when we had discussed our favorite things some time ago.

She took the flowers from my hands and rushed to the kitchen to put them in a vase then came back into the workroom. “May I ask where we’re going?” She pursed her lips and then started grinning, “Oh fine! I was going to wait until we got there to tell you but we’re going on a dinner cruise!” I could feel her excitement from several feet away. “Why, that sounds like a wonderful date,” I told her sincerely pleased that she had decided on something that wasn’t overdone, but also classic. This ‘date’ thing may be new but I think I now understand the parameters of what I’m working with here. “Where is our cruise embarking from?” I asked her and moved to set the door. “Maui,” she said with a smile. I gaped at her. She really had gone all out, hadn’t she? She moved to help me pinpoint the coordinates of the door she had memorized for us to take and as we got ready to step through, I grabbed her by the waist and pulled her to me. She put her arms around my neck. “Thank you, Cassandra,” I said quietly, and she looked puzzled. Before she could ask what for, I finished, “for being patient with me.” She smiled and leaned her head against my chest as she hugged me. We stepped through the door and embarked on our dinner cruise.

Cassandra:  
The dinner cruise was AMAZING. The food, the band, the company… it was the best date I had ever been on. Jenkins seemed to be enjoying himself too, he even told a few jokes! I was slowly beginning to realize that the ‘crotchety caretaker’ thing was just an act. I was dragged out of my thoughts when I heard what the band was playing. They had only played a few notes, but I knew that song anywhere. I jumped up and reached out my hands to Jenkins, “This is my favorite!! Let’s go dance!” Surprisingly, he offered me his hand and I seized it immediately. In a moment, we were on the dance floor and I put my arms around his neck as we swayed to the music. “What song is this, Cassandra?” he asked as he put his hands on my hips. I loved the way my name rolled off his tongue, I was still getting used to him using it. “You don’t know this?!” I asked when I realized what he had said. He looked blankly at me as the song got going a little more. “She Will Be Loved? It’s a classic!” I tried again. His eyebrow went up, clearly still confused. I laughed a little and then the chorus came and I sang softly with it while we swayed. “I don’t mind spending everyday/ out on your corner in the pouring rain/ look for the girl with the broken smile/ ask her if she wants to stay a while/ and she will be loved/ and she will be lo-o-o-oved” 

When I looked up at him again, he was smiling. Like a full blown, not holding anything back, genuine smile. Those were rare, let me tell you. “What is it?” I asked him, now smiling as well. “You,” he said. I didn’t really know what he meant but I didn’t question it. As the song played, we got closer and closer together and by the last note our faces were about 2 inches from each other. The song that started playing then was fast and lively so we left the dance floor and decided to head home. It was getting late. Jenkins paid for the meal and we left through a door to a storage closet on the boat. When we were back in the annex, we found ourselves in the kitchen making tea. We chatted about the evening and about nothing for a while until he said, “I have to ask- do I get a second date?” Could he really not read me at all? I searched his face to find he was completely serious. I couldn’t help but laugh a little and then he looked panicked so I hurried to say, “Oh my goodness, yes! You really are new at this aren’t you?” I saw relief flood his face as he nodded. I took his hands and held them tightly. I really wanted to just ask if I could stay but decided better of it. He wasn’t ready for that. 

“Walk me to the door?” I asked him. “Of course,” he said and we walked hand in hand to the door. He set it for my apartment and then looked up, “I almost forgot- when are you moving to the new apartment?” “They want me to come Monday and I haven’t packed up a thing, I think I’ll be packing all day tomorrow.” “Well,” he moved towards me as he spoke, “would you like some help?” I smiled at him as he stopped a foot or so in front of me, “I would like that very much, but since they know you, you would have to pretend to be my husband again, are you okay with that?” He grinned at me as he put his arms around my waist, “I was counting on it.” “Oh, you were?” I played along, “Well then, we better practice our ‘acting’…” I stepped into his embrace and slipped my hands in his soft silver hair. He leaned down and kissed me, a long deep kiss that left me weak in the knees.


	3. Chapter 3

Jenkins:  
I woke up early Monday morning, too excited to sleep. I had helped Cassandra pack her things yesterday and today was the day she moved in, meaning I get to pretend to be her husband all day. We had moved everything out the old-fashioned way using a truck so as not to raise any suspicion, so the truck was currently parked right outside the annex with all of Cassandra’s things in it. I looked at the clock again, only 6:20. I was fully dressed and had already made tea with 40 minutes to spare. She told me she would meet me here at 7 and would come through the door from Colonel Baird’s apartment. I made myself busy tidying and working while I waited. I checked the clock again- 7:07. Where was she? Just as I was about to send her a text, the door hummed to life and she stepped through, overnight bag in hand. “Cassandra, there you are. I was beginning to worry—” I moved toward her as I spoke, grabbing her hands in mine, but she let go and shook her head quickly. Just as I was about to ask what was wrong, Colonel Baird came through the door. 

I stepped back from her a little, though Baird didn’t seem to notice. “Colonel, good morning.” “Morning Jenkins,” she smiled at me. “You’re quite early today,” I noted, trying to hide my disappointment that Cassandra and I weren’t alone. “Well, I figured since I woke up when Cassandra did, I might as well come get some work done. What are you doing working so early?” I glanced at Cassandra and she bailed me out, “He offered to help me do the heavy lifting,” she smiled. “What a gentleman,” Colonel Baird smirked at me. “Don’t let the others know or they’ll start expecting me to be nice to them as well,” I said sarcastically. She rolled her eyes, “Well, I’m going to go make some coffee, good luck with the moving Red.” With that, she left. Cassandra immediately came closer to me and kissed me on the cheek, “Good morning,” she said quietly. “Mmm, a good morning indeed,” I moved my hands to their new favorite position on her waist. “Sorry I didn’t warn you about Baird, I didn’t know until she was grabbing her things and telling me to hold the door,” she hurried to tell me. “It’s alright my dear,” I reassured her and moved one of my hands to push away a loose red curl in her face. “Shall we go?” She nodded and we made our way to the truck, careful not to hold hands or anything in front of the Colonel. 

We went over the plan again on the way to the building and put the rings on. I went inside to the desk and told them my wife and I would be moving in today. While I was inside, she started loading small things onto the book cart I brought from the Library. Once I was finished at the desk, they gave me a parking pass to put on the U-Haul for the time being and we went to work. It was the most fun moving I had ever had and I had moved countless times in my long life. The way she would giggle when our hands would brush against each other reaching for the same box was intoxicating. I took great advantage of the situation, stealing kisses every chance I could. She didn’t seem to mind so much. When we had her all settled in, it was late in the afternoon. She collapsed onto the freshly made bed with a sigh, “Finally! I’m exhausted!” I sat on the edge of the bed, but didn’t dare lie with her, as that might have been inappropriate. “That was quite a lengthy process, wasn’t it?” I noted. She sat up and moved next to me, “I don’t know how I could have gotten it done without you, Jenkins! Thank you, I owe you one.” “What are fake husbands for?” I laughed a little and leaned in to whisper into her ear, “and I have quite a few ideas for the ‘owing me one’ thing…” I felt her smile against my cheek. “Mmm, what did you have in mind?” I took that as my cue to continue, “Well we could start here and work our way around…” I placed a kiss behind her ear and then below it and then on her jawline as I spoke. I had just made it to her neck when she moaned and I lost all control. I began sucking and biting at her neck and she gripped my hair tightly as I worked. 

Cassandra:  
Just as Jenkins was getting to the sweet spot, I heard a familiar humming sound and I said, “Jenkins!” He jumped up and moved away from the bed right as Ezekiel and Jacob made their way through the back door that had formed in my new closet. Baird and Flynn were right behind them. Thankfully, they didn’t notice the panicked looks on our faces as they were too distracted by the beautiful apartment. “Wow, Cassandra! This place is amazing!” Baird was the first to speak. Just as I was about to respond to her, Jenkins coughed loudly and brought his hand to his mouth to cover it. I looked at him and he moved his hand down a little to point to his neck with wide panicked eyes. Why is he… oh crap, my neck! I caught the hint and brought my hair around to cover where I’m assuming the hickey is. The others just then looked over at us and we must have looked normal enough to them because no one said anything. Jacob spoke up, “This musta taken all day, why didn’t y’all call us for help?” “Someone had to hold down the fort,” Jenkins responded quickly, “we had it under control here, right Miss Cillian?” I nodded and smiled brightly at them. “Well, anybody up for a bite to eat?” Ezekiel suggested. Everyone nodded in agreement but Jenkins, who excused himself stating that he needed to return the U-Haul.

I got up from my spot on the bed and moved toward him, “Thank you for helping me today Mr. Jenkins,” I said in the sweetest voice I could muster and leaned up to kiss his cheek. When I did, I whispered, “Come back at 10 and we’ll finish what we started.” He did his best to keep a straight face and responded, “Of course, glad I could help.” He said goodbye to the others and went out the door to the front to get the U-Haul. On his way out, Colonel Baird noticed the ring on my hand, “Dear lord, Cassandra, where’d you get that rock?” I saw Jenkins quickly slip his left hand into his pocket as he kept walking to the door. “Oh, this. I wear it so people think I’m married and don’t try to hit on me when I’m out by myself,” I lied as best I could. They seemed to believe it, but I took it off and placed it in the night stand anyway. We left through the door to go get Chinese food, but all I could think was that 10 o’clock couldn’t come soon enough.

Jenkins:  
I took the U-Haul back to the rental place and ate dinner at the Annex. By that time, it was nearing 9 and I was getting restless, what did she mean ‘finish what we started’? What exactly did we start? Did she want to have sex? Or just kiss some more? Or foreplay? I had no idea and I didn’t want to assume the wrong thing. Maybe it’s time we have a serious conversation about what exactly this is going to be. Or maybe not, is that too old-fashioned? I don’t really know anything about what I’m getting myself into. Obviously, I would love to sleep with her, but I didn’t want things to be even more awkward down the road if it didn’t work out, because whatever happened, we would still have to work together and I cherish her friendship very much. 

And on that note, it’s been quite some time since I’ve slept with someone, even longer than it’s been since I’ve been on a date. I have kissed and dated many women, but I have slept with very few. To me, there’s something sacred about it. I’ve long decided on a rule for myself in that department: Don’t sleep with someone you aren’t in love with. So… then I thought about it, am I in love with Cassandra? I haven’t known her very long at all, only a few years, but over that time she has pulled me out of my solitude and become a dear friend to me. She is beautiful, just as much inside as she is out. I know I love her dearly, I told her so myself in that hospital not too long ago, but am I IN love with her?

I looked up at the clock to realize I had been pondering that question for over an hour. 9:54 it read. I began to clean up where I had been working and pocketed my cellular phone without so much as glancing at it. I set the door for her new apartment and tried my best to put a ‘stoic and not at all nervous’ look on my face. As I entered the room right at 10, I didn’t see her and got a little worried. “Cassandra?” I called. Then I heard the shower water. Oh, good. She’s fine, just in the shower. I sat down on her couch and pulled out my phone. I had a text from Cassandra at 9:50 that read, ‘Getting in the shower, the others took forever to leave, can you come around 10:15?’ Just as I stood up and was about to go wait in the lobby for a few minutes to give her some privacy, the bathroom door opened and Cassandra walked out in only a thin towel. “Oh, Jenkins, hey, I’m sorry you had to wait out here by yourself, I texted you…” she started but I didn’t hear a thing. Her long legs were wet and the towel was short on her. I could see most of her thighs. As my eyes moved even further up, I saw the towel was held together with a tuck right above her chest. I could see the outline of her breasts through the towel. I stared at her for several long seconds until she said, “Jenkins?” 

“Hmm?” I fumbled, moving my eyes up to meet hers, “Oh, right, I’m- I’m so sorry. I just saw the text when I was waiting on your couch, I was just about to go to the lobby and wait for you there. I’ll just be—” My words came out fast and embarrassed. I moved to leave as she cut me off, “Oh, it’s fine. You can stay, I’ll just change in the bathroom.” She smiled at me and I felt relieved that she wasn’t upset with me for blatantly staring at her almost completely naked in a towel. Just as I was reprimanding myself in my head, she walked to the chest of drawers and bent to a drawer in the middle to grab her clothes. I watched as she bent over and almost couldn’t hold myself together. I turned around quickly and sat back down on the couch, facing the other direction so I could pull myself together. 

“Jenkins?” she questioned me. I looked up at her face, doing my absolute best to stay focused on her face, “Yes?” She moved toward me and I visibly tensed. “What’s wrong? Are you okay?” To my horror, she sat down beside me on the couch and reached out to touch my face. I melted into her touch, but was careful to leave my arms where they were at my side. “Mmhm,” and a forced smile was all I could get out. She still looked confused, so I reluctantly continued, “Cassandra… you’re sitting in front of me in nothing but a towel, what do you think my problem is?” Realization dawned on her and she began to blush. “Oh, oh I… I um... let me go put some clothes on.” She disappeared into the bathroom with her clothes and I did my best to calm down and try (but fail) to forget the mental image of Cassandra in nothing but a towel.

Cassandra:  
I couldn’t help but smile to myself as I stepped into the bathroom. I had almost forgotten that I was barely clothed, maybe I had gotten too comfortable with him. He had seemed interested no doubt, but kept a respectable distance too. It was an odd combo, but I liked it, a lot. I still don’t know that he’s ready for… that. I mean if it had been centuries since he’d been on a date, I imagine with his strong morals it had been even longer since he’d slept with someone. It had been a few years since I had either, and even so I had only ever slept with 3 men. All 3 were guys that I had been in serious relationships with, and I was a legal adult, but somehow all of those relationships felt childish compared to this one. I knew we needed to have that conversation before this went any further. I dressed into my pajamas quickly, and then wrapped my hair up in the towel. I stepped out into the bedroom and rejoined him on the couch. “Sorry about that…” I started awkwardly but continued before he got a chance to respond, “Maybe we should talk about that…” “You in that towel? God woman, are you trying to kill me?” He looked horrified and I couldn’t help but laugh.

“No, no, that’s not what I meant,” I responded quickly and I saw him sigh in relief. “I meant maybe we should talk about whether or not we’re going to… act on those feelings.” He understood what I meant immediately and I saw his face go white so before he could speak, I blurted, “because if you’re not ready, it’s okay, because… well I’m not sure I am.” The look of relief that showed on his face was less than reassuring. He moved even closer to me and grabbed my hands in his. He brought them to his lips and kissed the tops of them. “Cassandra, as badly as I want to, and trust me I really want to, I think we need to be extra careful here.” He paused as if he considered stopping there, but he decided to continue, “I haven’t been with many women, my dear, less than a dozen in my long life, but never have I been more nervous about… furthering a relationship than I am right now with you.” That threw me for a loop. Less than a dozen in 1500 years?! That’s less than ONE woman a century. Wow. As I thought about it, I realized what he’d said at the end. He was more nervous about sex with me than anyone else? “Me? Why me?” His eyes looked so deep into mine, it was like they pierced my soul. “You’re different Cassandra. You’re everything I’ve ever wanted. And I don’t want to mess this up by moving too fast.”

Almost before he finished talking, I smashed my mouth against his. He was surprised, but recovered and brought his strong arms around me to return the kiss. We kissed in silence for a few minutes before I released him and said, “Three.” He looked puzzled, “Three wha—” “Men, I’ve only been with three men… I just thought you should know—” He cut me off, “Did they treat you right?” I had just told him how many men I had slept with and that’s what he wanted to know? “What?” I asked. He repeated himself, “Did they treat you right?” I thought about his question. I had been fortunate, they were all decent guys, they were nothing compared to him of course, but they weren’t bad guys. “Yeah, they did, why?” I responded. He nodded and said, “I don’t care about the number, I care about you Cassandra.” I felt the tears forming behind my eyes and I reached out and hugged him tight, “You’re amazing,” I said softly as I hugged him.


	4. Chapter 4

Jenkins:  
Cassandra and I had a nice long talk last night about... well everything really. We decided that we weren’t going to… pass the point of no return as it were until we both knew it was time. We also talked about the others. I don’t mind having secrets usually, but these Librarians and especially Colonel Baird were the closest thing I had had to a family in a long time and it did seem like a rather large secret to keep from them. However, Cassandra and I agreed that we didn’t need the others swaying our judgement for or against this working out. We needed to do this alone. We also agreed that we would go on as we had been at the Library, she would still assist me in experiments and kiss me on the cheek when she got there every morning. I would continue to call her Miss Cillian in front of the others and show an unromantic favoritism toward her. And outside of the Library, we will continue to ‘date’ in secret and take it super slow. We talked for so long that I didn’t leave her place until around 2 in the morning and my lack of sleep showed in my appearance and attitude this morning. I walked into the workroom just in time to hear Ezekiel blast some sort of noise (or what I assume is music nowadays) through his cellular phone and I shouted at him, “Mr. Jones, would you mind?!” He tapped his phone immediately to turn it off and backed away from me, “Woah Jenkins, who peed in your cheerios?” 

“I’m sorry, I just didn’t get a lot of sleep last night and I’m a bit cranky.” He smirked at me, “You’re always a bit cranky mate, this morning you’re bordering on feral.” I shot him a glare and went to my desk. I looked around and saw Colonel Baird and Mr. Carsen but not Mr. Stone or Cassandra. I checked the clock- 8:20. Hmm, they should be here by now. Just as I was contemplating asking where they were, Jacob walked out of the stacks, talking to Ezekiel about something. Still no Cassandra, but if I asked, would that be suspicious? Maybe? “Colonel?” I asked and she looked up at me. The very same moment I heard the familiar sound of Cassandra’s heeled feet down the hallway. “Um, have you seen my glasses?” I recovered as Cassandra walked into the workroom. “They’re on your desk Jenkins,” Baird responded with a look of concern on her face and I feigned frustration. “Ah, there they are, right under my nose, thank you Colonel.” The others said good morning to Cassandra and I said, “Miss Cillian” in acknowledgement as she kissed me on the cheek as we had done a thousand mornings. We went about our days as normal and everything seemed to be falling into place. 

Cassandra came into my lab and closed the door around 4. I shot an eyebrow up as she walked toward me. “I came to talk about our plans for the night,” she said. I wrapped my arms around her waist when she got close enough and she put her hands on my chest. “I was thinking a movie. Is there anything you’ve been wanting to see?” she began. I shook my head, “I prefer the classics, but if there’s something you want to see we can see that.” She shook her head, “I prefer the classics too, but those don’t play in movie theatres and the idea of being in a dark theatre with you is what made me pick this date…” As her voice trailed off, she ran her hands up into my hair. “Mmmm,” I moaned at her touch against my bare neck, “Well, it’s a good thing I know a place my dear, leave it to me.” I kissed her forehead and as I came up to look into her eyes, there was a knock at the door. “Jenkins?” It was Mr. Carsen. We quickly let go of each other and I busied myself with the microscope while she grabbed the lab notebook and began to flip through as though checking my formulas. I have to admit that I did quite enjoy this secret romance we had going on. 

“Come in sir,” I responded in a cool voice and he opened the door. “Why was the door closed?” Oh god, lie Jenkins lie! “Oh, I was dealing with some particularly strong chemicals this morning and have been keeping it closed as a precaution all day.” It was the best I could do, and I added a small smile at the end hoping that he wouldn’t question it. He didn’t. Whatever he needed my help with must have been more interesting, thank god, because all he said was, “Oh okay, well you see I have this problem—” Cassandra excused herself while he was giving me a rundown of what he needed. As she slipped out the door, I caught her eyes and she winked. She held up her hands and showed me seven fingers. 7 o’clock. I gave an imperceptible nod and she caught it. She smiled and left the room. As soon as I helped Mr. Carsen, I called and got tickets for our movie night and made one other arrangement with a friend who owed me a favor. I found myself zoning out the rest of the day thinking about tonight. I hope she likes it.

Cassandra:  
Almost as soon as I left Jenkins’ lab, Eve found me. She started talking before I even had the chance to say hello. “So, I have a proposition for you- I have a friend from the military in town and he was looking for a good time while he’s here. I was wondering if you would go with him on a double date with me and Flynn. His name is Steven, he’s handsome and sweet and I thought you two might hit it off. I mean I know you’re not seeing anyone—” I cut her off without thinking, “Actually I am.” Her eyebrows went up, “Really? You haven’t mentioned anything about having a boyfriend.” Oh crap, what have I done? “Um, well, I just… didn’t know if we were really supposed to talk about that kind of thing at work,” I fumbled. “Are you kidding? Who is it? Would I know him? How did you meet? What’s he look like?” She started babbling off questions. “You don’t know him!” I said quickly, “Uh, he’s a… doctor! At the hospital where I got my tumor removed. Yeah. We met at one of my check in visits a few weeks ago, he works in one of the testing labs. It’s a pretty new thing, I just didn’t want to move too fast by telling people we were in a relationship.”

“Ooh a doctor,” Eve smirked at me, “You have good taste Red.” I laughed a little, “That I do.” “Well, I’ll just tell Steven that I don’t know anyone then, but I do expect to meet this doctor someday soon. What’s his name anyway?” “Je- John! It’s John.” She didn’t seem to notice my fumble, because all she said was, “John, I like it” and walked away. I let out a sigh of relief. I would have to explain what happened to Jenkins tonight so he wouldn’t be blindsided by it later, but at least she bought it. I really hate lying to Eve though, she was the only real female friend I had ever had. I hope we don’t have to keep this up long.

Jenkins:  
After everyone left for the day, I began to gather my things for my evening with Cassandra. I hated lying to them as much as she did, but we both know it’s for the best. Maybe we’ll know soon whether or not this is going to work and we won’t have to lie for very long. As I thought about this new relationship with Cassandra, I couldn’t help but smile. When these Librarians showed up, I just wanted them to leave, but now I quite enjoy them. Especially Cassandra. Who would have thought I would fall for one of them? Wait, did I just say ‘fall’? I think I did. Have I fallen for Cassandra? The thought scared me but excited me at the same time. I hadn’t fallen for anyone in a long, long time. As I was lost in my thoughts, the back door spurred to life and I walked to it, assuming Cassandra was a bit early. To my surprise, Ezekiel came through the door. “Mr. Jones? What are you—” He opened his mouth to respond and then noticed the flowers in my hand and the movie snacks in a large popcorn bucket off to the side. “I left my laptop, more importantly, what are you up to mate?” “Oh, I… uh… I’m… well—” There was no way to lie my way out of it. He gasped and put his hands over his mouth. “No way! You’re going on a date!” “What? No, I—” I fumbled but he knew.

“Who’s the lucky girl mate?” he asked after he watched me struggle to lie for a moment. “You don’t know her!” I said defensively. “I didn’t think I would mate, geez, I was just asking.” He walked over to his desk area and grabbed his laptop, “Well I’ll leave you to it then. Don’t stay out too late young man!” he chided me and I glared at him. He turned quickly and made for the door. Thank god he didn’t come a second later, Cassandra should be here any minute. As if on cue, the door glowed to life and Cassandra popped through, not seeing Ezekiel off to the side. “Jenkins are you—” she began. “Going on a date, yes I am!” I cut her off, “Mr. Jones has already given me a hard-enough time, I assure you Miss Cillian.” I looked pointedly in Ezekiel’s direction. She looked confused then turned to see him standing there and played along immediately. “Good for you, Mr. Jenkins, Ezekiel shouldn’t have given you a hard time. I just came because I couldn’t find my coat and I needed it to go somewhere tonight. I think I left it here, I’ll just go look for it.” She walked off towards the stacks and Ezekiel reset the door for his place. “Good luck with your date Jenkins!” he screamed on his way out.

“He’s gone,” I called and Cassandra popped out from the stacks. “That was close,” she said as she walked toward me. “Good save by the way,” she said as she slipped her hands around me. “Mmm,” I purred at her touch. “I had one of those myself today,” she said against my chest. I looked down at her and raised one eyebrow. She proceeded to tell me about Colonel Baird trying to set her up with a friend and her lie stating she was seeing some doctor who works in a lab at the hospital named John. I laughed at the story and couldn’t resist saying, “Hmm, I think I’ve figured out your type.” She looked confused and I continued, “A man in a lab coat.” We laughed for a while at that one. After we were done exchanging awkward situations of the day, I gave her the flowers and she made for the door. I set it to her apartment so she could drop off the flowers and after she returned I turned off the globe. “We’re not taking the door?” I shook my head, “The car is out front my dear.” 

We walked hand in hand to the front door and I opened it for her. She looked around for a minute and finally turned to me, “I don’t see it.” I pointed to the classic 1964 silver Aston Martin across the street, “That’s because you didn’t know what to look for.” “Oh my god Jenkins! That’s the coolest car I’ve ever seen! We’re really taking that?” I nodded and led her to the car. I walked around to the passenger’s side and opened her door. I put the snacks in the console and got in. “You seriously have to tell me where we’re going, I can’t take it anymore.” I shook my head, “We’ll be there in just a few minutes, surely you can hold on that long.” She fake pouted at me and I couldn’t help but laugh.

Cassandra:  
We drove through downtown Portland and turned down a back road. We rode it for a good while and just as I was about to ask why we were going away from town, I saw it: a huge movie screen and rows of cars parked in front of it. “A drive in!!” I squealed and he smiled beside me, “What do you think my dear? Did I get this ‘date’ thing right?” “Jenkins! This is amazing! I’ve always wanted to go to a drive-in movie theatre!!” I leaned over and kissed his cheek as he drove up the drive, “It’s perfect.” I saw his face flush in the dark and smiled to myself. He parked the car with a perfect view of the screen and started getting out the snacks as the previews played. “So what movie are we seeing?” I asked him as I scooted closer to the left side of my seat. “They play a double feature, but they’re always classics. Tonight, it’s Casablanca and Singin’ in the Rain.” He looked over at me to see my mouth agape. “Those are two of the best movies ever made,” I was still gaping at him. He grinned and nodded. “Popcorn?” He held the bucket out to me and I took it, but I put it in the backseat so I could lean over the console and kiss him. He was surprised, but soon his hands came up to cup my face as we kissed. We kissed for what only felt like a few seconds, but turned out to be long enough to miss the previews.

When we parted, I laid my hands on top of his on my cheeks and whispered, “Thank you, I love it.” He flipped his hands on my cheeks and took mine in his. “I’m so glad, my dear.” He kissed the tops of my hands and then my forehead. It was tender and innocent but something about it made me dizzy. I don’t really know much about love, but I think that’s what I’m feeling. I think I’m falling in love with him. Before I got the chance to do something stupid like tell him I thought I was falling in love with him, the movie started and the moment had passed. As the second movie ended and we pulled away to go back to the annex, I thought about the date. It was one of the most amazing things I had ever experienced. I had seen drive-in dates on sappy tv shows and rom-coms for years, but I always assumed it was only that romantic in movies. This actually felt like something out of a movie: sitting in a classic car, watching a timeless movie on a drive-in screen, with the man of my dreams. Wow, how did this happen to me? I mean, it was just a few years ago that I was a janitor and now I was here in this moment. I reached over and took Jenkins hand again and he squeezed it affectionately. For a man who hasn’t dated in centuries, he sure knew how to make me weak in the knees.


	5. Chapter 5

Cassandra:

Jenkins took me back to the annex and opened a door to my apartment when we got back. We decided to part ways there since we were trying to take it slow, but it took all I had not to just drag him through the door with me. I held my ground, but couldn't stop thinking about our date though. It was perfect. He was perfect. I couldn't help but thank the gods that I had the guts to ask him to pretend to be my husband last week. How could that have been just last week? Wow. This was happening fast. I got back to my apartment and couldn't help but smile when I saw the flowers he got in the vase on my coffee table. The lilies were a stunning yellow and more unique that any flower I had seen in a while. The last thing I remembered as I drifted off to sleep was the fresh scent of the lilies.

The next morning, Stone and Ezekiel came over to my place early to put together some last-minute details for the surprise one-year Anniversary party we were throwing Flynn and Eve tonight. We invited Jenkins to help, but he politely declined on the account of his dislike of parties. Since I'm making him go to the actual party, I let him out of this one. So, the boys knocked on my door at quarter-till 7 breakfast in hand, thank god. I led them to the living room to sit while I went to get the party supplies.

Ezekiel:

I don't even understand why we're throwing a bloody party, but here I am at 6:45 in the morning (I mean who knew there was a 6:45 AM?!) PLANNING the party for somebody that's not Ezekiel Jones. Normally, I just show up to parties, I don't help plan them! As I cursed myself in my head for letting Cassandra and Stone talk me into this, I smelled a familiar scent and looked on Cassandra's coffee table at the odd-looking yellow flowers. I automatically knew I had seen them before, but where? Those aren't just flowers, they're too out of the ordinary to just forget. Come on Ezekiel, think… the supermarket? No, I wouldn't have remembered that. Have I seen them outside somewhere? I don't think so... I thought for a few minutes until I realized that I had seen them in the Annex. But why did we have flowers in the annex- Oh my god. It hit me like a truck. I know exactly where I've seen those flowers- Jenkins.

I grinned from ear to ear. I can't say I'm surprised, I figured it would happen eventually, but this is a lot sooner that I imagined. How could I have missed it though? The way Jenkins got all defensive saying "You don't know her" and how Cassandra entered the room unsurprised to see him standing there with flowers and he made a point to immediately make sure she knew I was there. It was right there the whole time. I wonder how long they've been keeping it under wraps? As Cassandra walked back into the room, I couldn't resist saying, "Pretty flowers, Cass, where did you get them?" I saw panic flash on her face, but only for a split second. Had I not been looking for it, I never would have seen it. "Oh, I just picked them up at the grocery store, thanks," she lied through her teeth. I grinned to myself and said, "Oh, maybe that's where I saw them, I knew they looked familiar." I put a little extra emphasis on the last word and saw her eyes widen. She got it.

Stone didn't seem to pick up on the odd exchange though since he jumped right into party planning, I mean, am I the only one who knows? We planned the rest of the party and made sure everything was set and then Jake opened up a door through Cassandra's closet. He walked through first and I was moving to follow him, but Cassandra pulled me by my shirt from behind. As I spun around to face her, I knew what was coming- I was about to get chewed out for prying on their personal lives and told I can't tell a soul. But when I was finally face to face with her, she looked like she was on the verge of tears. "Cassandra, I didn't mean t—" "Please, Ezekiel, please don't tell anybody, it's really new an-and it's going really well and I don't- don't want to mess it up and I—" She started crying mid-sentence and I immediately felt like shit for making her upset.

"I won't say anything mate, I swear. It's none of my business. I really wasn't trying to upset you, I didn't know it was this serious." My hurried apology seemed to calm her down a little bit and I put my hands on her shoulders and forced her to look up at me, "I think it's great, you two are good for each other." "Really? You don't think it's weird? Because… well… of the age difference?" she asked hesitantly and then looked down at her feet. "What in the bloody hell does that have to do with anything? He's a total silver fox." She looked back up at me with her mouth wide open in disbelief. I just nodded and she laughed. "He is, isn't he?" she agreed with me after the shock that I had referred to Jenkins as a silver fox wore off. "We good mate?" She nodded and hugged me. "Thank you," came a small voice. I stopped her as she made for the door. "For the record, I think the others would feel the same way." She nodded slightly, but didn't look convinced. We went through the door together and Jake said, "What were y'all doin' back there?" I saw Cassandra tense so I stepped in, "We were sharing secrets without you mate," I said sarcastically and slapped him on the shoulder as I passed him. "Ha ha, very funny man," came his annoyed response and it was like it never happened.

Cassandra:

I can't believe I got so upset in front of Ezekiel but the only thing I could think was, "What if he tells the others? What if they don't approve? What if Jenkins doesn't want to try to make this work if they don't approve?" That last one was the most upsetting. After we got back to the annex, I quickly disappeared to the stacks to try to get myself together. Why was I so upset by the possibility of losing him? You love him. The small voice in my head came out of nowhere. I do? I love him? I thought about how when he walks into a room, I immediately feel better; how when touches me in even the tiniest of ways, I catch my breath; how when he gives me one of his rare grins I think I could melt; how he puts everyone else's needs above his own and is just so… good, so inherently good. Oh my god, I do love him. I've loved him for a long time, I just refused to acknowledge it. Should I tell him? I mean, I should tell him… right? Would it scare him? I don't want to scare him. "Miss Cillian?" I jumped at the all too familiar voice that interrupted my thoughts.

I turned around to see Jenkins climbing down from a shelf ladder no less that 10 feet from me. When did he get up there? More importantly, how long has he been there? "Huh?! Oh, hi Jenkins, uh what's up?" I tried to sound calm, but failed. "Hmm, I believe I should be asking you that my dear, you've been standing there lost in thought for some time now." He started walking towards me and I panicked so I backed up a little. Wait, how long have I been here? I looked down at my watch. It was 10:37. "Oh my goodness, I lost track of time, I have… um things to do, I'm just going to go do that… uh those things, I'll uh- see ya, bye!" With that I turned and practically ran from him. Good move Cassandra, good move. As I thought about the confused and concerned look on his face, I walked back to the workroom. I pulled out a math text and opened it up to a random page. I just needed it to look like I was busy so I could think some more, having a secret relationship really is complicated.

Jenkins:

Cassandra was acting weird and by that, I mean even more so than normal. As I thought about the fact that she just ran from me in the stacks, I wondered if it had something to do with me. Did I do something wrong? When she left last night, everything was fine, MORE than fine even. It was great. I was looking forward to seeing her this morning for that kiss on the cheek, but when I arrived in the annex, Mr. Stone and Mr. Jones were there, but no Cassandra. Ezekiel made a point to say that she went to the stacks and looked at me as if he knew I was wondering where she was. That was odd all in itself. He never pays attention to anyone but himself and occasionally Mr. Stone, I don't know what that's about either. I waited at my desk for her to come back to the workroom for a while, but she didn't so I picked up a stack of books and headed for the stacks to check on her.

After wandering around for a minute, I saw her a few shelves back just standing up against the shelf looking off into space. I watched her for a few minutes from a distance before I decided that was creepy and slid a shelf ladder on the stack behind her. Thinking she would hear the noise, I started climbing and pretended not to see her at first, but she didn't even flinch. Whatever she was so lost in thought about must've been serious. After I shelved the books I brought in this random place to keep up pretenses (Note to self: fix that later), she still had not looked up so as I began my descent, I said, "Miss Cillian?" loud enough to get her attention. I watched her jump and then she spun around. She had a panicked look on her face like a child caught with her hand in the cookie jar. "Huh?! Oh, hi Jenkins, uh what's up?" she said in a squeaky voice and started to fiddle with her hands. I raised an eyebrow and responded, "Hmm, I believe I should be asking you that my dear, you've been standing there lost in thought for some time now." I walked towards her, but before I could get close she started to back up.

She looked confused and then looked down at her watch, "Oh my goodness, I lost track of time, I have… um things to do, I'm just going to go do that… uh those things, I'll uh- see ya, bye!" Before I could respond, she turned and ran towards the workroom. I was more confused than ever. I stood there in disbelief of what had just happened and then remembered that I just shelved those random books in the wrong place. I got back on the ladder and retrieved the books. I went ahead and shelved them properly so she had time to attend to her "things to do" and then went and made some tea. I made myself a cup, but also made one for Cassandra. I think she may need it. When I entered the workroom, I saw her bent over her desk with her head in a book. I walked to her desk and set the tea down on the edge and continued to my desk. She didn't even notice the tea. I watched her from my desk for a moment (discreetly of course, because the others were around) and noticed that she had not turned a page since I walked in. It was a thick book, but she was quick. She wasn't reading that book, she was completely zoned out just like she was earlier in the stacks.

Now I was worried. Maybe I should say something or would that draw suspicion that we're in some kind of relationship? Is that what this is? Wait… am I her boyfriend? Isn't that what they call it? Huh, maybe I am her boyfriend, I kind of like it, it has a nice ring to it. Either way, I had a feeling from our earlier interaction that I was not the person she wanted to talk to. I mean, was it about me or did she just not want to talk to anybody? We seemed fine last night, but something must have happened between last night and this morning when she got here. Think, Jenkins think! What was she doing this morning? Did she say she was going somewhere? Did she go to- wait, the boys! They went to meet her to talk about the party, oh it all makes sense, she's stressed about the party! Oh good, it must not be me then, thank goodness. With the thought that it doesn't have anything to do with me and I can't very well ask her without drawing suspicion, I'm resigned to think that I've done all I can do. With that, I left the work room and headed to the lab.

Cassandra:

I was still lost in thought when I faintly felt my butt go numb in my chair. I shook my head to clear my thoughts and stood up. That's when I noticed the untouched cup of tea sitting right in front of me. Jenkins. I was unbelievably awkward this morning and then ran away from him, yet he brought me tea but didn't say a word, he must've picked up on the fact that I needed to think. Sometimes I honestly had no words for that man. I glanced towards his desk, but he wasn't there. I picked up the tea to find it cold, so I made for the kitchen to warm it in the microwave. He must've been by a while ago. I glanced around to make sure he wasn't in the kitchen to see me put tea in the microwave, he would be appalled. I took a sip once it was warm only to smile at the fact that he had fixed it the way I liked it. I drank the tea in silence and decided I needed to explain my evasiveness to Jenkins. As I made my way to the lab, I rehearsed it in my head, how I was going to tell him, everything I was going to say, but when I stepped foot in the doorway, I lost all train of thought.

I just stood there for a minute and watched him focusing on getting some formula just right. After a few minutes, he still hadn't seen me so I tapped lightly on the door. He looked up as if startled, but I saw relief flood his face when he saw it was me. "Miss Cillian, is there something I can help you with?" came his strong deep voice. I could see his eyes smile like they always did when he looked at me, but he continued the acting in his words since we're at work. I didn't even bother to close the door, I just walked right up to him and threw my arms around him. I hugged him like my life depended on it, and in that moment, I felt like it did. He was surprised at first, but responded quickly, winding his strong arms around me. He immediately began running his hand through my hair. "Are you alright my dear?" he asked after a moment of hugging in silence. I nodded against his chest. I quickly remembered that anybody could walk in right now, so I released him and he went to close the door.

He came back to where I stood and put a hand on my waist and the other on my cheek, "I was worried about you," he said as he stroked my cheekbone with his thumb. "Yeah, I'm sorry about that," I responded in a small voice, "Ezekiel found out about us." I saw his face go white as I continued, "But he said he won't tell and he thinks it's a good thing." Color flushed his face again. I paused deciding whether or not to continue, and decided it might lighten the mood, so I did, "When I asked him if the age difference bothered him, he called you a silver fox." Jenkins scoffed, "Okay, is that some kind of a joke because if so, I'm not amused." I smiled and slid my hands up his back to tangle them in his hair and then pulled him down face to face with me, "Nope, he really said it, but he's not wrong, you're a total silver fox…" He smirked and one of his eyebrows went up. I pulled back slightly, "But we can finish that conversation later…" "Mmm, that better be a promise my dear," he purred in my ear. I smiled and nodded.

"What I really came to talk to you about was that Ezekiel thinks everyone else would feel the same way about us and that we should tell them. That's what I was thinking about all day- what would happen if we tell them. Both for us and for the team." I saw his face go serious again but he didn't say anything so I continued, "and then I was just thinking about us and about what this is and I realized I didn't really know what this was. All I know is what I want it to be, but I need to know what you're feeling before I get too many ideas in my head." He was surprisingly calm for the conversation we were having, and he responded, "Okay, well for me this is serious. I haven't had feelings like this for anyone in a very long time Cassandra and if I'm honest, I don't know if I've ever felt quite how I feel about you. In my eyes, this is a relationship, something that feels very new and vulnerable for me considering the circumstances. I still want to take things pretty slow, but I want this just as badly as you do."

Those few sentences held more emotion than I had ever expected and it was exactly what I needed. It was then I knew I had to tell him, "I know you just said you wanted to take it slow but now that I know how you feel, you deserve to know how I feel too." I paused and he looked at me with so much care that I had the courage to continue, "I'm in love with you Jenkins, and I have been for a long time now, I just didn't see it until today." I saw his eyes widen and felt his body tense up. He looked like he was in shock. He was silent for a minute and just as he opened his mouth to respond, there was a knock on the door. "Jenkins?" It was Eve. We split apart immediately and busied ourselves with lab equipment. "Come in Colonel," he said in a shaky voice. I hope Eve didn't notice. She came in and said, "Oh hey Cassandra, I haven't seen you in a while. Is this where you've been?" I nodded and said, "Yeah, I just came to help Jenkins with something, but we just finished so I'll leave you to it!" I made haste for the door and didn't look back. Quite honestly, I needed a moment to think about what had just happened. He didn't say it back.


End file.
